International Leadership Programme
What to know before you apply
This is a guide to help you decide whether this is the right programme for you, at the right time, and whether you are ready for the kind of participation the experience asks of you.
Welcome
The WYSE International Leadership Programme is an international leadership experience that brings together people from different countries, cultures, professions, beliefs and life experiences. It offers the chance to step out of everyday routines and enter a shared space for learning, reflection, challenge and growth.
This guide is intended to help you think carefully before you apply. It introduces the ethos of the programme, the kind of experience it offers, what participants are asked to bring to it, and the conditions that help people benefit most from it. We hope it helps you decide whether this feels like a good fit for you, and whether this feels like the right time in your life to take part.
What kind of programme is this?
The programme offers a holistic approach to leadership development. You will be invited to learn through ideas and discussion, and also through reflection, experience, creativity, relationship and shared community. The first part of the programme tends to focus more on your own inner development and your understanding of yourself as a leader. The second part widens the lens, inviting you to think more fully about leadership in the world and how you might apply your strengths, values and talents in purposeful ways.
This is an educational and developmental programme. It is designed to support discovery, reflection and growth. It is also a shared residential experience, so the quality of the programme depends not only on the design and faculty, but on the way participants show up for one another and for the learning process.
Who tends to benefit most?
The people who tend to gain most from the programme are not necessarily the people with the most formal authority or the most polished answers. They are often people who are willing to reflect honestly, meet others with curiosity, and engage wholeheartedly with a challenging and rewarding learning experience. Previous participants often say the programme is especially valuable for people who are ready to:
• Deepen their understanding of themselves, their values and their leadership
• Learn in community with people whose backgrounds and perspectives may be different from their own
• Step back from everyday pressures long enough to focus on their own growth and development
• Engage with a programme that is experiential, relational and reflective, rather than purely academic
• Think seriously about how their learning may shape the way they live, lead and contribute afterwards
Is this the right time for you to apply?
A very important question is not only whether the programme interests you, but whether this feels like a good fit for you now. As the programme includes reflection, challenge and personal growth, timing matters. The experience is strongest when participants are in a position to engage with it in a grounded, open and active way.
Before you apply, it may be helpful to consider the following:
• Personal stability matters. WYSE offers an educational and developmental environment, with opportunities for reflection, challenge and growth. It is not a therapeutic setting, so participants benefit most when they have enough personal stability to engage well with the experience.
• You will need to step away from normal work. It is not possible to participate fully in the programme while also keeping up with routine work responsibilities, deadlines and ongoing work communication. Participants need to be free to give their attention to the programme.
• You will get most from it if you are willing to step out of your ‘comfort zone’. The programme invites new learning, unfamiliar experiences and encounters across difference. A degree of openness to challenge is an important part of the journey.
Choosing to apply at the right time is part of respecting the value of the experience, both for yourself and for the
wider learning community.
What participation asks of you
The programme asks participants to contribute actively to the conditions that make the experience meaningful and successful. Based on previous years, the following expectations are especially important to understand before applying:
• The programme is demanding and immersive. Activities are scheduled from 8am to 10pm and people are expected to participate in all sessions and make every effort to keep to the timings of the programme.
• Focus on the programme. The experience works best when participants treat the programme as a dedicated time for learning and development rather than trying to stay closely connected to outside demands.
• Sight-seeing. There will not be time for sight seeing during the programme, if this is important to you please schedule time before or after the programme to see the sights.
• A degree of digital detox. Sessions are designed as device-free spaces, and participants are encouraged to step back from the usual pull of emails, messaging and social media so they can be more fully present.
• A co-learning approach. The programme is shaped as a shared learning environment in which participants and faculty all contribute to the quality of the experience together.
• Respect across difference. The international community will include a wide variety of perspectives, beliefs and ways of seeing the world. Participants are asked to meet this diversity with respect, curiosity and openness.
• Shared accommodation. Bedrooms are shared with 2 to 3 other people of the same sex.
• Food. Meals during this programme will be vegetarian in line with the requirements of the venue.
Questions to ask yourself before you apply
• What experiences in my life have shaped the way I think about leadership?
• What am I hoping to explore or develop through a programme like this?
• Am I able to step away from normal work responsibilities for the duration of the programme?
• Am I in a sufficiently grounded and stable place to engage with a reflective and challenging learning
environment?
• How open am I to living and learning in community with people whose beliefs, experiences and perspectives
may be very different from my own?
• Am I willing to participate in a way that supports the success of the whole group, not only my own experience?
• If I were offered a place, would I be ready to commit my attention, energy and participation to the programme?
If this feels right for you
If this kind of experience feels meaningful, timely and genuinely developmental for you, we would warmly encourage you to apply. The programme can be a rare opportunity to step back, reflect deeply, learn with others and connect with what matters most to you.
If, as you read this guide, you find yourself recognising both the opportunity and the level of commitment it asks for, that may be a strong sign that this could be a valuable next step in your development.
If there is anything you would like to clarify or discuss before applying, please be in touch. These conversations are always welcome and can help create the best possible conditions for participation and learning.